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Post by newbielagunadiver on Oct 21, 2019 14:44:21 GMT -8
Hello Everyone! My name is Cody and I'm a 28 year-old double hose enthusiast. My plan is to take a scuba course next summer, but I have already begun gathering vintage gear for my first rig. I bought a well-used but refurbished Voit Navy V66 double hose regulator with new hoses from The Scuba Museum, and a local dive shop gave me a good deal on a 1960's Healthways tank. Another buddy is providing me with a J Valve and I already use an oval mask and Churchill fins for swimming. How easy is it to rebuild my regulator? I'd like to open it up and add upgrades like the HPR 2nd stage and Phoenix 1st stage, but I have no idea when to start, or what tools to use. Any advice is much appreciated! I'll also be looking for a dive buddy in the Los Angeles/Orange County region, as my goal is to dive the many sheltered coves in Laguna Beach (Diver's Cove, Shaw's Cove, etc.) Glad to be aboard!
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Post by nikeajax on Oct 21, 2019 17:51:12 GMT -8
Cody, ahoy and welcome from the Bay Area Since you're going to hotrod this one, get something else like a Mistral that you can have a real vintage experience with too. Since it is a two stage regulator, you'll need an IP-gauge (intermediate pressure gauge) so that you can set your breathing pressure. Most, but not all Voits are the same as US Divers, so I would recommend downloading the USD manual from the Vintage Double Hose forum... Ask as many questions as you want: when it comes to safety there's no such things as a dumb question Jaybird: Co founder of the glorious Cult of the Healthways Scuba Regulators
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 18:39:27 GMT -8
Welcome aboard!! I agree with Jay and get a US Divers Mistral or better yet a Healthways SCUBA, SCUBA De Luxe or SCUBA "Gold Label" to learn to work on your first regulator. In all honestly it was a lot easier than I thought it would be! I like my vintage regulators to be like they were when new and not add all the aftermarket parts. I have become accustomed to to trusting the J-Valve and diving with no SPG is "normal" for me at this point. Wish I could help you out on the dive bud situation, but I no longer live in So Cal... I really wished I had gotten certified when Uncle Sam let me live in San Diego! I'd love to dive La Jolla, along with other So Cal locations!! Mark
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 18:47:39 GMT -8
Also be opened minded to checking into some of the 60's era single hose regulators. Diving an early 60's Healthways "Scubair", Voit "40 Fathom" or US Divers "DeepStar" is every bit as rewarding as diving my 1959 US Divers Mistral. Plus a lot of them can be had cheap and common parts are still available for the most part. Mark
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Post by newbielagunadiver on Oct 21, 2019 18:56:19 GMT -8
Thank Jaybird, thank you Mark for the warm welcome! I'm definitely going to take both of your advice to heart, in fact, I might just leave my Navy alone and go with the full vintage experience! Since you both love the Healthways gear, is there good parts support for them? I've seen quite a few nice Healthways double hose regulators on eBay for less than the price of an equivalent US Divers or Voit regulator. And since I already have a Healthways tank, it would be great to own a Healthways double hose regulator! 😁👍
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 19:14:20 GMT -8
I got my diaphragm for my Healthways SCUBA from The Scuba Museum, also got the hoses there too. I already had the mouthpiece and valve cages. The crucial part is the High Pressure Seat, but from what I heard they tend to last. Mine was fine. Parts can be found, but getting them sometimes is the adventure! I applaud you on keeping the Voit stock, if I were going to hotrod a regulator it would be a US Divers. Only because it seems they are easier to find. It seems the Voit double hose regs are more sought after? If I had a Voit, I'd keep it stock. Mark
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Post by nikeajax on Oct 21, 2019 19:38:33 GMT -8
WHEW--I WAS HOPIN' YOU'D SAY THAT!A lot of people think they're not safe unless you add all that stuff to 'em, which is a fabrication of great misinformation... If you need a mindless reg, jeeze, just buy a new ScubaPro and be done with it, you don't have to think about it. Voits are very highly sought after, hotrod a DA Aquamaster them're a dime a dozen, OK, well, very easy to find and they got the same gizzards as your Voit, I think... I can learn ya how to work on a HW, very easy too. I would recommend getting a new silicone diaphragm for it, which can be found at the Scuba Museum too. The most important thing is to learn and have fun! Use 'em all and learn to use them safely and enjoy the uniqueness of each. There are a few simple tricks you can do to a HW to get it to perform very nicely, unless it's a Goldie (Gold Label) which is a hotrod with a very powerful venturi: But to echo Mark, yeah, get some of the older single hose regs, you'll learn a lot: they're like potato chips, go ahead, try to own just one. Pretty soon you'll want the whole line. What's fun is you can get them for so cheap you can start hacking into hem to add more ports like I did with my HW Scuba Star: Here's a Scuba Star that I call my Diver Dick, the second stage came from the estate of Dick Anderson the guy who designed it, one of my real treasures that no one else has--PERIOD! JB
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 19:53:30 GMT -8
And Jay is in his natural element...
My profile photo is me diving my circa 1962-1967 Healthways Scubair Regulator, HW tank on a HW "Scuba Pak" backpack. Also a Cressi "Pinocchio" mask that was marketed by Healthways and later ScubaPro. The Cressi Pinocchio mask is still being made, it has been in constant production since 1952. Just in case you get interted in vintage scuba and esp. Healthways gear. Mark
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 19:59:18 GMT -8
Think I'm going to name one of my Healthways regulators "The Ghost of Gustav" (in honour of Gustav Dalle Valle). Ha! Mark
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Post by nikeajax on Oct 21, 2019 20:03:03 GMT -8
Newbie, PM sent...
JB
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 20:11:21 GMT -8
Jay...do you think you want to give Cody a run-down on the timeline of the Healthways double hose regs? From SCUBA to SCUBA DeLuxe to Gold Label. One thing I'd consider about the three different HW DH Regs is the exhaust system. I'd go for the last two models, just for the simplicity of the exhaust. The DeLuxe and Gold Label use a simple, easy to find at any dive shop "mushroom" valve, whilst the first version the SCUBA uses a diaphragm that can be finicky to make (assuming the original is long gone and/or too shredded to use. The "newest" they would be would be circa 1959).
I started hanging out on this site before I got my Open Water Certification too. I did not talk much about getting into vintage gear with my instructor, but now I rarely dive modern gear. Mark
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Post by newbielagunadiver on Oct 21, 2019 20:33:55 GMT -8
Thank you both again! Absolutely, I'm leaving my Voit alone, and I think I'll grab a Healthways HW if I can catch a good one on eBay...and I've already gotten a lot from Rob at The Scuba Museum 😁👍 I actually did pick up a good looking Voit Titan II MR-12 to work on, it even has a Scubapro pressure e and extra line for an BCP/safe second (not sure which). I'll probably wrench on this first to get the hang of things, then progress to a double hose project. Another good fellow scuba diver also is going to send some old single hose regs to practice on, so I'm definitely on the right track to learning 👍
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Post by tomcatpc on Oct 21, 2019 20:51:34 GMT -8
I have a Voit/AMF/Swimaster MR-12, I got mine cheap and am learning to love diving it. Rebuilding it...for me proved to be challenging. It seems I can take apart and put back together a piston first stage reg with little drama. When it comes to a diaphragm first stage reg, that tends to be another thing. I have no reason why to be honest. Right now I am having "fun" with a early 70's Dacor Olympic 400 and yes it is a diaphragm first stage. I ended up having a local shop help with the MR-12 first stage. I can't recall what was wrong, but it was something really stupid that I should have caught. Anyway...I tried to dive it a couple times and it free flowed very bad the moment the second stage went in the water. Free flowed so bad I had to take my tank off and close the valve. Turns out that the shop had the IP set too high. I finally invested in a cheap IP Gauge and got that dialed down to where it should be. And now my Voit MR-12 is "dependable" and a joy to dive!
Now when I first took apart a Healthways "Scuba Star" single hose reg., that was so easy to work on. I think there are two O-rings to change in the first stage and one O-Ring in the second, along with a LP seat to change. Then adjusting the demand lever in the second change was basically trial and error with me. It is not rocket science, just takes practice. Mark
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Post by scubalawyer on Oct 21, 2019 22:30:14 GMT -8
Hi Cody, Welcome! I live in Laguna Beach and am always looking for vintage dive buddies. I'm more than twice your age but if you don't mind trying to keep up with a salty old dude that started diving when you could buy a double hose regulator at any dive shop brand new I'd be happy to accommodate. Get certified and let's go diving. Mark (yeah, another one ).
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Post by nikeajax on Oct 22, 2019 7:36:13 GMT -8
Cody, you'll be in good hands too. There are a few things Mark-II can show you like rolling and clearing your hoses that are unique to a DH that a modern dive master will have zero idea as what needs to be done. JB
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